


and the cat's in the cradle with the silver spoon

by summerhurleys



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Lunchbuddies!Narry, M/M, Rock Music Junkie!Harry, friends-to-lovers, school!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-01
Updated: 2013-05-01
Packaged: 2017-12-10 01:34:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/780249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/summerhurleys/pseuds/summerhurleys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The world seemed still to Niall, it felt like his fluttering heart and his hands, which tingled like they were in flames, were the only things in movement. He looked up from the floor and instantly met eyes with Harry, who grinned at him and blinked his eyes, his lashes seeming to shimmer in the fluorescent lights. It seemed that Harry’s smile was contagious, because Niall caught it and smiled back at him."</p><p>[Days 6 and 7 of The 31 Day Writing Challenge!]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was heavily inspired with the fact that i've been listening to my Elton John pandora station ;)  
> There will be a part two tomorrow!  
> Please kudo, comment, and bookmark if you can! :D

Harry sat next to Niall every day at lunchtime, and they would be there in that booth. They wouldn’t talk much asides from a greeting, Harry too absorbed in his lyric writing, Niall too into his food or stealing glances over at Harry’s determined face as he wrote in his tiny notebook with lyrics to songs that had yet to grace his ears.

Sometimes, they would be there in that blue and yellow booth, and Harry would bring his iPhone (which wasn’t allowed) and they would listen to Harry’s playlist which seemed to consist of songs from the seventies. When they would listen to the soothing melodies expressing pain, love, and freedom, Niall would seemingly drift away, enchanted by the tunes ringing in his ears for days following.

This particular Thursday, Harry brought his iPhone with the starry case, and didn’t bring earphones. He turned it on, and the beginning lyrics to “For What It’s Worth” humming into the lunchroom. Niall began to get nervous as he realized how close to trouble he and Harry could be in if the teachers actually took notice of them for once.

“What are you doing, Harry? We’ll get caught!” Niall whisper-yelled to his lunchroom friend, who turned and looked at him with trusting green eyes.

“I’m trying to rekindle everyone’s flames in here. All they listen to is this junk with no substance. They need to get a refresher with some good ol’ Elton or Bruce Springsteen every once in awhile.” Harry slowly responded, swaying to the music as it played.

Niall bit his lip as he noticed more and more of his classmates turning and looking at them, muttering distasteful things or the odd comment of awe. Suddenly the song changed to “Imagine”, and that’s when most of the cafeteria began to notice the subtle change. Harry had begun to sing.

“Imagine there’s no heaven

It’s easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today…”

Niall decided it was far too late to go against his curly-haired friend, so he figured, why not join him? He just hoped he could remember the chorus….

“You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will be as one….”

As Harry and Niall continued to sing their hearts out to the song, a few others in the booth in front of them made their way around and slipped in. They were three very interesting looking boys, one with black hair that curled up to a style similar to that of bad boys in the fifties movies which he looked the part, the other one had tufty brown curls and round almond eyes, and the last one had on bright clothes and sky blue eyes that seemed observing. Once they got in, they joined into the song, and people began to whisper about how in harmony they seemed to be.

“Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world…”

By this time, the teachers began to make their way over to where the group was sitting, looking completely serene as they glanced up at their teachers. They slowly stood up as they sang out the last bit of the song.

“You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will live as one.”

Once they finished, the cafeteria was in utter silence. All the students were looking at the five boys, even though another song had already began to play.

The world seemed still to Niall, it felt like his fluttering heart and his hands, which tingled like they were in flames, were the only things in movement. He looked up from the floor and instantly met eyes with Harry, who grinned at him and blinked his eyes, his lashes seeming to shimmer in the fluorescent lights. It seemed that Harry’s smile was contagious, because Niall caught it and smiled back at him.

“Mr. Styles, please hand over your mobile device and escort yourself to the office.” One of their teachers snapped, breaking the unity of the group, thus breaking them up temporarily.

Harry sighed as he pulled his iPhone out of his pocket and turned it off, handing it to said teacher and making his way out of the cafeteria. Right as he opened the door to leave, Niall called out to him. “Harry!”

Harry turned around, a surprised look on his face as he noticed Niall waving at him.

“Bye, bye Miss America Pie!” the Irish boy yelled over, letting Harry sink that in as he rushed over to the line that was forming to leave the cafeteria back to class.

“Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die…” Harry murmured, a pleased look on his face as he went and faced the office.

The next day, everything returned almost to normal, with the exception of the teachers looking at them like hawks every other second, and with the introduction of the three boys from the day before. Their names were Zayn, Liam, and Louis. They were pretty quiet themselves, though Louis chattered with Zayn once they finished up their late homework. The booth was balanced out.

It was like that for weeks, and Niall soon expected it to stay that way. But he was proven wrong as the seasons changed from autumn to winter. The day that was different was a particular Tuesday. The classes were outside during their free period, Harry and Niall were standing out under the shelter in their trench coats; Harry’s olive green and Niall’s a plum color. They were listening to Zayn talk about their classmate that he had been hitting on for the past month as he smoked hidden from view. Louis and Liam were a bit a ways, playing footie with a mini ball Niall had found in the woods near the school.

Harry and Niall were sitting on the only bench on the campus as they listened, and Harry seemed to be inching closer to Niall’s side. Niall would shiver as the wind billowed past, searing through even his sweater a layer under his trench coat. So he welcomed the slowly incoming warmth that the taller boy brought to him, like a corner furnace.

“I can’t believe Norma hasn’t seen anything in me yet! I heard from Colin that she liked rebel guys, and I’m the closest thing she’s gonna get anytime soon, don’t you think, Harry?” Zayn complained, leaning back against a pole, seeming to blend into the scenery of winter.

“Dunno, Zaynie. Might be too soon to say. You might have heard wrong when he said that thing about bad boys. Maybe she likes guys that are good.” Harry smoothly replied, propping his feet up on the iron armrest of the bench, opting to lean into Niall’s side with his back.

Niall could feel every bone of Harry’s spine against his arm, but he didn’t really mind at all. He chose to place his head on the other’s, blonde hair melding with brown curls. They stay like that for the rest of the period, until the whistle is blown for them to come back indoors, and as they walk in, they hold gloved hands.

They hold hands, out of sight from any of their peers, for weeks. At least until winter changes into spring. When the first flowers bloom on the campus of school, Harry and Niall lay in them, chancing the dangers of ants and bees for the view of the blue sky and fluffy white clouds above. It was on one of those afternoons lying out in the flowers that Harry kissed Niall, making the Irish boy blush as bright as the tulips they were surrounded with. The Cheshire boy just laughed when he saw what his kiss had done to his friend.

In the weeks following, they’ll exchange quick kisses in the flowers as they mutter sweet nothings to each other, just glad that they’re in each other’s presence. Around this time, Harry starts to drive Niall to his house in his orange vintage Cadillac, where Harry let’s Niall into his world of music, footie, and his four cats that adore him and his friend.

It’s May when it’s announced that the prom will be near the end of that month. One person can bring a date to said prom, and Niall wonders if Harry will ask him to it. He needn’t wait but a week and five days before Harry musters up the courage to ask, as they’re listening to “You Don’t Know How It Feels” in Harry’s room, sitting on his bed.

“Niall, can I ask you a very important question? I need an honest answer, not the bullcrap I would expect from a girl.” Harry blurts out midway through the chorus, startling Niall, even though he catches it.

Niall has to take his time thinking, should he really accept Harry’s invitation or not? It’s well into “Green River” before he nods to Harry. The curly-haired boy fist-pumps the air and whistles loudly. He then leans over and hugs Niall tightly, taking his time before letting go.

“So you’ll actually dress formal for the first time this year? For me, Niall?”

“I guess I will, if it’s for you, Harry.” Niall stumbles over his words, suddenly getting a nervous churn in his stomach at the thought of what was to come…….


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god so i left this at a 'guess the ending yourself' cliffhanger and i'm sorry. it had to end that way. feel free to punch me. otherwise, enjoy this ending.  
> please kudo, comment, and bookmark if you can!

Niall gulps as he looks at himself in the mirror in his bedroom, which he honestly doesn’t use often. He’s wearing a suit that Harry had found for him at some ‘thrift shop’ that had the colors of a peacock. Niall wasn’t sure if he wanted to wear it or not, but here he was, wearing it, with a small white lily at his lapel.

Harry had called him only ten minutes before and said that he’d be over to pick him up for the prom. Niall still hadn’t any clue what his friend would be wearing, he hoped it’d be as awkward as what he was wearing. He’d feel much better if that was the case.

He breathes in deep and breathes out shallow as he sits at the end of his bed, absolutely nerve wrecked; his hands were beginning to sweat at the thought of going out in public with Harry. It’d be the first time that they would go out together like a couple. Except they weren’t yet. They hadn’t talked about it, even though they held hands and kissed and gave gifts like couples did.

So many people would instant assume they were together, that Niall and Harry were gay. That made Niall want to deny ever being near Harry. But really, you couldn’t not like Harry.

Harry Styles was a perfect human being, though Niall sometimes would wonder if Harry was even real. He listened to all the right music, played piano even (though rarely), his lips were always smooth and tasted like honey. Whenever they passed notes in chorus class or held hands, Niall would always get that tingle in his body that made him shiver right on the spot. Harry’s green eyes were like deep forests of mystery. Harry Styles was a mystery.

Niall was knocked out of his train of thought as the door opening, his mom poking her head in the room. “Niall, dear. Harry’s here to take you to that school event.” She hummed, then leaving the door open as she went to the laundry room next door.

He collected himself, got up, and made his way out of his house. When he opened the door, the first thing his eyes caught was the bright orange of Harry’s Cadillac, and Harry leaning against it, messing with his phone, probably on Twitter. Harry was wearing a suit with red lightning bolts on black background, and that was around the time Niall had the wondering of how much sleep Harry had had when he had gone shopping. At least they would look weird together.

“Harry! I’m ready to go!” Niall called out, trotting to the car and its owner, who grinned one of his trademark grins.

“Awesome. I came early so we could hit McD’s, I know you’re probably somehow starving. You wanna ride passenger, back, or trunk?” Harry chuckled, taking Niall by the hand when he approached close enough.

Niall just laughed as he told Harry he wanted to ride in the passenger, telling him the trunk was an absurd option. Harry led him to the appropriate side of the car, opening the door like he was a cart driver in a Cinderella story. Maybe this was in a way like a Cinderella tale. Just one where the prince listened to anything from Marina and The Diamonds to Steppenwolf and was perfect in every way and kissed you in the flowers in spring and held hands and touched bodies when it was cold. And one where the princess was a clueless Irish boy who hopelessly fell in love with his lunchroom buddy and eventually crept into the prince’s life in almost every aspect.

After Harry and Niall were seated, the younger started the vehicle, the beginning of “Cat’s In The Cradle” beginning to play. Niall leaned into the leather seats as Harry began to sing along to the artist, who was also named Harry.

“My child arrived just the other day

He came to the world in the usual way

But there were planes to catch and bills to pay

He learned to walk while I was away

And he was talkin’ ‘fore I knew it, and as he grew

He’d say “I’m gonna be like you, Dad

You know I’m gonna be like you”

Niall wondered what Harry’s dad was like. It was never a topic the curly haired boy ever really touched on, and that made Niall think that their relationship wasn’t at best. He decided not to press Harry, he was driving him to this event anyway. He noticed that Harry sounded so good singing this song, it fit his deep vocals, it’s a wonder their chorus teacher hadn’t recommended this song for practice.

“And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon

Little boy blue and the man on the moon

When you comin’ home, Dad

I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then

You know we’ll have a good time then…”

Harry’s singing reminded Niall of the day everything changed. In the cafeteria, singing John Lennon. Ever since, everything had gone sky high for the blonde.

Suddenly, Harry turned off the tape player, turning to Niall seeing as he was stopped at a intersection. He sighed low and sweet, and leaned in to place a kiss to Niall’s lips.

Niall’s baby blue eyes widened in shock, sinking into the kiss nonetheless. He eventually gained himself when Harry flashed back around, expressing showing panic. He barely had time to see what was happening before he blacked out……..

“And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon

Little boy blue and the man in the moon

When you comin’ home son

I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then, Dad

We’re gonna have a good time then…”

end.

**Author's Note:**

> (Songs Used in This Fic)  
> "For What It's Worth" - Buffolo Springfield  
> "Imagine" - John Lennon  
> "American Pie" - Don McLean  
> "You Don't Know How It Feels" - Tom Petty  
> and many others powered certain parts of this fic! ;)


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